In August 10 2018, The King lives again. RCA has released a Gospel album with 14 songs, including Amazing Grace.

I was born ten years too late to dance to his music. But I listened. And learned.
My first words in English, were from his records.

I have a VCR tape from the Ed Sullivan show, where Elvis "The Pelvis", was only filmed from the waist up. The way he moved when dancing, was forbidden in TV at the time. 1956 to be exact.

I went to Vegas in '71 just to watch the man in his element.
He was the resident star of the International Hotel, later bought by Hilton.

To my naive surprise, the shows (several a day) were booked three months in advance. A little inconvenience.
However, I'm the guy who went to NY with no hotel reservation in the middle of an IBM convention. And found a dump in the West Side. But that's another dollar.

I flew from San Juan eleven hours and four stops just to see him. And to attend an electronics show that was my biz at the time.
My only solution was to use the grease that loosens all bolts.

I shook hands with the doorman with a Franklin in my right.
He peeked at godspeed, smiled, and pointed to a corner with barely standing room. Let alone any service. But I was in.
This is a time when you could buy a 3/2 one car garage for 10 grands.
Taxis in The Strip were 3 dollars no matter how far you were going.
A suite at Caesar's set me back 32 bucks a night. A fortune.
I was already drowning in plastic called Mastercharge and Bankamericard.

First night I'm losing 50 dollars and I'm almost crying. Second night I'm losing 300, drunk and happy, with no intentions of ever leaving Vegas.

My wife at the time, just had my beautiful baby girl and I was needed. So back I went to face the music. And do my best to pay the plastic.
I've returned several times, but never like when Elvis was alive.
Not even Wayne Newton could fill his gap.

La Bruja is a person used to take vacations. Two or three times a year. Me, I just tag alone. I could live my whole life in my habitual surroundings.
We have been to most States. Because of her.

She can tolerate Elvis so I suggested The Elvis Tour.
We spent a whole day at Graceland. Coincidentally, it was during Elvis week.
There were more than seven hundred floral arraigments(sp) from more than fifty different countries. Fifty years later.
I mean, the man is really loved all around the world.

We also went to Tupelo Miss. To visit the shack where he was born. Unreal how a person can turn his world around in a matter of a few years.
La Bruja swears he's in Tupelo. Not Graceland. She felt his presence, and had a few words with him there. I'm not much of a believer, but in my Bruja I trust.

All in all, I'm downloading the album to my iTunes and paying my 9.99 (with plastic, of course) and tomorrow, him and I are gonna have a duet. Him leading, of course.

Cheers.